The True Definition of Wealth Beyond Monetary Value
Looking around, walking in downtown Cedar Rapids, you will see people in designer clothes and purses, driving around in expensive cars and with the latest phones. These people are considered wealthy. According to the Webster Dictionary the word “wealth” means having an abundance of valuable material possessions, resources with economic value or property that has monetary value which is exchangeable. People put so much value into their materialistic items that they lose focus on the real definition of the word wealth. Wealth is more than putting a numeric value on materialistic objects; it is instead placing emotional value onto things that mean the most to people in their life, family and having a healthy mind and body.
People believe that having a fortune means having to acquire the most branded and expensive objects or even believe it to be a sign of success. Sometimes even believing that “money is wealth and are always trying to accumulate more. Their entire being is dependent on how much and what they have, rather than the realization that wealth is an abundance of what we feel. ” People stress on the importance of having more money as being wealthy. Few understand the true meaning of wealth, if looked at the etymology of the word “wealth” (etymology) it is based more on happiness and well-being referring to healthy mind and body, having your family with you at the life changing moments. A former Wall Street trader Sam Polk said that “money will hijack human spirituality, exploit hatred, brainwash the masses, derail democratic politics and tinker with fascism in their desire to have more. ” If people continue on their lives thinking about the definition of wealth as a numeric value then this world is going to be “brainwashed” and the whole world will change into a money craving world and forget about things that matter such as family and their own health.
When we look at life and what our goals are, we should fill it with people, friends and family that are dear to us. “A mother snuggling with her child, a family sharing dinner and laughter together, a couple holding hands and running in the rain are things that touch our hearts. The feeling of warmth in our hearts is true wealth. ” The feeling of fulfillment from the love and attention from our dear ones makes us wealthy. Having this feeling of tenderness that comes from having your family together and being able to “create a special memory that you will all cherish shouldn’t be left for tomorrow because there might not be a next time”. Many people in this world would say the definition of wealth would include having thousands and thousands of dollars. However that tender feeling of having a mother and a father maybe an uncle and aunt with a sibling or two along with memories that will be “cherished” forever would make any person happy and can keep people going for a much longer time than money could ever have. The most expensive and branded things can never take away from the wealth of family love that a family has.
Is it better to be rich and regretful or poor and healthy? “Most people do not take care of their health while accumulating “wealth” equivalent to money and later spend to try and be healthy again”. True wealth is not how much money you make but the kind of life you make, your experiences and the love and emotions you share. Without having a healthy mind or body it is a challenge to learn new things and to even enjoy the small things in life. King said, “If it can be solved with money, it is not a problem. ” He died soon after. So many people in this world take their health for granted, as they are too busy to go outside and exercise or have time to eat healthy meals “if your heart stops ticking, your schedule will be completely cleared. ” King believed that a problem that can be solved with money is not a problem at all but then died because he did not maintain a healthy mind or body. Planning and continuously striving to just accumulate “wealth” and not working out or relaxing is going to result in life threatening diseases or early death. So if the current prevalent definition is to be believed, then that leaves us with no chance of enjoying the wealth that is accumulated or even following through with our future plans. However, if we believe the finer definition of the word wealth as a healthy mind and body is much more important than “money wealth. ” Postponing traveling for a later date may result in not being able to travel at all if one is sick or unable to travel due to health reasons. Mental health and anxiety free life needs relaxation and spiritual healing. In this race for “wealth” we should find a way to heal our mind and body.
Wealth is more than putting a numeric value on materialistic objects; it is instead placing emotional value onto things that mean the most to people in their life, family and having a healthy mind and body. The word wealth is a complex word that has changed meaning in the past century as it went from meaning happiness and well being to a monetary value that can be exchanged for many things. Money should be kept completely away from the word of wealth as it might simply corrupt the world in the future and take away the love from a family and the health of mind and body.
